GOD IS IN CHARGE

GOD IS IN CHARGE

Pastor Mark Taylor

January 8, 2012

“Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered”

Luke 12:7

Many times the Lord Jesus Christ reminded His followers that God is in charge of both the big things and the little things that happen in this world.  This truth has been described in both the Old and New Testaments in the lives of both those who loved God and in the lives of those who fought against God and His people.

There is nothing too small or insignificant in the sight of men that is not in the care and providence of God.  There is nothing that is too small that God is not concerned with involving the happiness of His children.

Man can only see things at a small distance.  The eye of an eagle can see things from a greater distance.  Perhaps the eye of an angel can see at a distance of a thousand times greater than either man or an eagle.  But God sees everything through the whole extent of His creation.  The omnipresent God sees and knows all the properties of all the beings that he has made.  He knows all the hearts of men and women, and understands all their thoughts.  He sees all their sufferings, with every circumstance of them, and all that they feel.  “Know that the Lord He is God:  It is He that has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.” (Psalm 100:3).

Yes, it is very hard to comprehend and to believe that God is in charge when we consider the complicated wickedness and the complicated misery all around us.  But He created mankind in His own image which contains a spirit, like Himself.  Within that spirit He gave them understanding, a free will to make choices, and liberty.  If we did not have that we would not be created in His image.  “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He them; male and female created He them.” (Genesis 1:27).  God has chosen to govern man not as an animal or a stone, but as an intelligent and free spirit, capable of choosing either good or evil.  God has also provided man every possible help, in order to do good without turing him into a machine.   Unfortunately, many man and women have chosen evil instead of love and good that God desires for them.

We can see how God takes care of His creation by looking at it in a picture of three circles.  The outermost circle includes the whole race of mankind, both Christian and non-Christian.  God cares about all of His creation. “...for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).

Within a second but smaller circle includes all that are called Christians, all that profess to believe in Christ but do not demonstrate it with their lives.  “This people draws near unto me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” (Matthew 15:8).  Within the third, the innermost circle, are contained only the real Christians, those that worship God, not in form only, but in spirit and truth. “the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeks such to worship Him.” (John 4:23).

To those in this innermost circle are all that love God and who walk as Christ walked.  It is to these in particular that He says: “Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Luke 12:7).  He sees their souls and their bodies, and takes particular notice of their desires and thoughts, and all their words and actions.  Nothing that relates to these are too great or nothing too little, for His attention.  God is in charge!!

If then, we allow God to be in charge of our lives and put our whole trust in Him who has never failed those that seek Him, we do not have to fear about our welfare.  The Lord Jesus Christ continues His message to those whose “very hairs are numbered”, by saying: “Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.  Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.” (Luke 12: 7-8).  There is nothing in either heaven or in the earth that can harm you while you are under the care of the Creator and Governor of heaven and earth.  What an unspeakable blessing it is to be in the care of Him that has all power in heaven and earth.  To this confidence in God we owe Him our thankfulness for His kind protection.  Be thankful, for God is in Charge!!

But, while we have this confidence, we should take the utmost care to walk closely with our God.  Do not let your faith in His caring for you make you careless or lazy.  This is not a reason to take the attitude that you have no responsibility in what happens, just because God is in Charge.  “What does it profit, my brothers and sisters, though you say, you have faith, and have not works?  Can faith alone save you?...Even so faith, if it does not have works is dead by itself...You believe that there is one God? You do well: but the devils also believe and tremble.  Will you understand that faith without works is dead?” (James 2: 14-20).

God is in charge and He loves you and nothing can change that. “For I am persuaded that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).  That should be the motivation for you to enter that innermost circle and allow God to take charge of your life and walk with Him.

With God in charge, you can accomplish many wonderful things in your life.  There is nothing you and God cannot do together.  “I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me.”  (Philippians 4:13).  If you will let Him guide you, there is nothing that happens to you that He cannot handle.  “The steps of a good person are ordered by the Lord: and he will be happy along his way.” (Psalm 37:23).  Even when seemly bad things happen to good people, they have this promise. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28).  GOD IS IN CHARGE!!!

(Message adapted from John Wesley’s message “On Divine Providence”, 1737)

HAVE YOURSELF A "MARY" CHRISTMAS

Luke 1:26-38 

Sermon By Pastor Mark Taylor

(Adapted from the sermon “Christmas According to Mary” by Jonathan McLeod)

I certainly want everyone to have a "merry Christmas", but I think we can learn something from the life of Mary, the Mother of Jesus.  These thoughts were taken and edited from sermons preached about Mary's willingness to be used of God to become a mother and deliver God's Son into the world.  

No matter who you are,
The Lord can use you 

Mary teaches us God is not as interested in your abilities as He is in your availability. No matter who you are, God can use you. Vs. 26-27 paint a picture of an ordinary girl with some serious problems: "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man name Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary."

She was young. Mary was pledged to be married. At that time, it was customary for girls to be engaged at 12-13 years of age (around the time of reaching puberty). 

She was poor. We read Luke 2:22-24 that Mary and Joseph took baby Jesus to the temple to be circumcised. They were required to bring one of two offerings: either a lamb for a burnt offering and a dove or a pigeon for a sin offering.  If a lamb was too expensive, the parents could bring a second dove or pigeon instead. Mary and Joseph brought the two doves, because they couldn’t afford a lamb. You and I might have thought this family was too poor to provide for Jesus but apparently God didn’t think so. Mary was young, and poor.

She was from Nazareth. Apparently, Mary was a young girl from Nazareth which was a town with a bad reputation. This is what Nathanael said when He learned that Jesus was from Nazareth - "And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” John 1:46

Mary was young, poor, and from Nazareth — all these characteristics made her seem unusable by God. But God chose Mary for one of the most important jobs He ever asked anyone to do. Through God’s choice of Mary, He teaches us no matter who you are, the Lord can use you. 

She had two vital characteristics God looks for: humility and faith. She knew she wasn’t worthy of the honor God offered her. Yet she still believed God could use her, if she trusted Him. Do you believe God can use you? Or do you think you’re too small—too young, too poor, too weak to be used by Him? 

No matter what problems you face,
the Lord is with You

Mary teaches us that no matter what problems you face, the Lord is with you. 

The angel says in vs. 30, “Do not be afraid.” But we wouldn’t blame Mary if she were afraid.  Imagine the fears she might experience as a result of her pregnancy:

A possible divorce by Joseph as he first assumed that Mary had been unfaithful to him.  He decided to divorce her (which, according to their law, was necessary to end the engagement) before he was told in a dream that Mary’s baby was, in fact, conceived by the Holy Spirit.  But right now, Mary doesn’t know how all of that will work out. But she does know God will be with her, whatever Joseph does. 

There could be possible rejection by her family. Did Mary’s family believe her story that the baby growing inside her was the Son of God?  But Mary did believe that God was with her, no matter how her parents would react to her. 

Possibly, and most likely, certain rejection by her community could happen. Imagine the gossip that must have circulated in Nazareth. The people in Nazareth could have accused her of adultery—a sin that was not looked on lightly as it is today in some places. It’s likely that Mary was shunned by those who had once been her friends. But Mary believed God was with her, even if her friends abandon her. 

The same Lord makes that same promise to you and to me. 

Psalm 118:6 “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Hebrews 13:5 “…For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

No matter what He promises,
The Lord can do it.

The Bible records several instances where there was not a “normal birth.” God sent a son to Abraham and Sarah long after they thought having a baby was possible.

John the Baptist’s mother, Elizabeth, was in her sixties or seventies when she gave birth to the prophet. But none of those special births was as amazing as the birth of Jesus Christ. His birth was a virgin birth 

When we talk about the virgin birth we mean that Jesus was conceived in the womb of His mother, Mary, by a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit and without a human father. Now that doesn’t sound any more normal or possible back then than it does today. But look at Mary’s reaction in Luke 1:38: "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the odd; be it unto me according to your word."  Even though the angel’s news was unbelievable, she believed it. Mary didn’t understand it, but she also didn’t doubt it. She believed that no matter what He has promised, the Lord CAN DO IT.   The virgin birth means that Jesus Christ is unique—He is both God and man. He is qualified to be our Savior. Mary believed and said: “Let it be to me according to Your Word, O Lord.” 

The virgin birth means that Jesus Christ is unique—He is both God and man. He is qualified to be our Savior. 

Mary knew that a virgin birth was impossible, but she also believed that “nothing is impossible with God.” Whatever God promises, He delivers. No matter what He promises, He will do it. 

It doesn’t matter how impossible they seem—there is nothing, nothing, nothing impossible with God. Whatever He promises, He always does, without fail. 

Mary can teach you and I: 

No matter who you are, the Lord can use you. 

No matter what problems you face, the Lord is with you.

No mater what He has promised, the Lord can do it. 

HAVE A "MARY" CHRISTMAS AND A "MERRY" CHRISTMAS!!

GOD’S GREATEST GIFT TO YOU

SERMON BY PASTOR MARK TAYLOR

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given."—Isaiah 9:6.

As Jesus Christ was a child in his human nature, he was born, begotten of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary. He was as truly-born, as a child, as any other man that ever lived upon the face of the earth. He is thus in his humanity a child born. But as Jesus Christ is God's Son, he is not born; but given, begotten of His Father from before all worlds, begotten—not made, being of the same substance with the Father. The doctrine of this eternal relationship of Christ is to be received as an undoubted truth of our holy faith. 

If unto me a child is born then I have been born again; and, moreover, I am now in consequence of that new birth, a child of God. If, again, a Son has been given to me, then I am a son; and again I am given to that Son who is given to me.

Now, if this Son is given to you, you are a son/daughter yourself. "For unto as many as received him to them gave he power to become the children of God." (John 1:12). "Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." (Hebrews 2:17). The Son of God is not mine to enjoy, to love, to delight in, unless I am a son of God too. Does the Holy Spirit bear witness with your spirit that you are born of God? 

If Christ is not my Christ, He is of little worth to me. If I cannot say He loved me and gave Himself for me, of what value is His birth, death and resurrection to me? Bread in the store is well enough, but if I am hungry and cannot get it, I will starve though the stores are full. Water in the river is well enough but if I am in a desert and cannot reach the stream or if I can hear it in the distance and cannot find it, I will die of thirst.

There may be some to whom it is a matter of uncertainty as to whether Christ is theirs or not. Do not go through this Christmas season without knowing assuredly that Christ is yours, and that you are Christ's.

If the Son is given to me, why should not I be sure of it? If the child is born to me, why should I not know it for a certainty, that I may even now live in the enjoyment of my privilege—a privilege, the value of which I shall never know to the full, till I arrive in glory?  “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” Isaiah 9:6.

Let us examine what it means to be become a son/daughter of God and to receive this great gift of God’s Son to us.

Verily I say unto you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven.  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 18: 3-4).

Many of us have heard the invitation to come to Christ and have given our hearts to the Savior.  We have read and heard the verse Jesus said to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3).    We know that before a child is born into the world he has eyes, but cannot see, he has ears but cannot hear.  Before he/she is born they cannot breathe. It is only after their birth that they now are capable of hearing and seeing.  When we are “born again” we receive our spiritual eyes and ears. “The natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (I Corinthians 2:14).  

When we are “born again” God breathes into our soul a spiritual life.  It is that great change which God works in the soul when he brings it into life.  When we are “born again”, our spiritual life begins.  There are similarities between our natural birth and growth and our spiritual birth and growth. 

When we have received this “Son” which was “Born unto us”, and “given unto us”, we have become a child of God.  This is our “spiritual birth”.  God has made this a simple process.  It is something He does in us and not something we can do.

Today, you can receive this wonderful gift of God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  If you have not already received Him as your personal Savior, this will be the best and most lasting Christmas present you will ever receive.  If you have received God’s Son, share this message of love with someone else you want to see in Heaven with you.

This gift is free to anyone who will ask God for forgiveness of their sins and ask the Lord Jesus to come into their hearts and save them.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13).

You say, “Surely, it cannot be that simple.” Yes, that simple! It is scriptural. It is God’s plan. My friend, believe on Jesus and receive Him as Savior today.

In Luke 18:13, the sinner prayed: “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Just pray: “Oh God, I know I am a sinner. I believe Jesus was my substitute when He died on the Cross. I believe His shed blood, death, burial, and resurrection were for me. I now receive Him as my Savior. I thank You for the forgiveness of my sins, the gift of salvation and everlasting life, because of Your merciful grace. Amen.”

THE WONDER OF HIS NAME

THE WONDER OF HIS NAME

BY PASTOR MARK TAYLOR

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”  (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Wonderful

His first coming was wonderful. This fulfilled prophecy in Isaiah 9 was to show us who God is and what He is like in the form of His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ. He was and is “Wonderful”.  742 years before his birth, Isaiah, God's prophet, foretold the amazing truth that he would be born of a virgin and said His name would be Immanuel - "God With Us". (Isaiah 7:14).  700 years before He was born, Micah, God's prophet revealed in Micah 5:2 that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem of Judah. There are over 60 prophecies and over 300 verses in the Old Testament which foretold His coming.  The chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled only eight of the prophecies is 1 in 10¹⁷."  That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000.  Jesus was not an ordinary man, but God in the flesh.  “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son, from the Father, full of grace and truth”  (John 1:14).  What a wonderful gift from God.

Every ordinary thing He touched became “Wonderful”.  Everyone He touched changed from ordinary into “Wonderful”.  At His presence, the blind would see, the deaf could hear, the lame could walk, and the dead could be raised from the dead.  When Jesus came by, people felt His “wonderful” presence and everyone He touched received something “Wonderful” from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Everything He did was “Wonderful”.  He fed thousands of hungry people with His “Wonderful” miracles.  He ate and fellowshipped with the outcasts and unlovable in His community.  He brought the message of eternal life to all who would hear and receive it.  Everything He said was “Wonderful”.  He talked about living forever with Him in Heaven.  He talked about having rewards for living a good and righteous life.  He talked about forgiveness for all the sins we have committed.  He talked about His love for us and the need for us to love others.

Counsellor

We all need a counselor at one time or another. We need the advice of friends or family.  Jesus has the credentials to be our advisor because he is completely trustworthy and wise.  Jesus provides two things that we’d look for in a great counselor:  He is understanding. – “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)  

He is someone who really cares. – “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Pet. 5:7).  So when we face any and every decision, this prophecy tells us that Jesus is there to advise us and give us direction. Jesus is our top advisor. He can see every possible outcome, and knows which choice is best. Every time.

Mighty God

This is an expectation of power.  Calling this child “God” is a prophecy regarding the divinity of Jesus Christ. He will be the all-powerful God himself!  Christ is our victorious king who has already triumphed over the evil powers of this world!  Because of that, we can expect Jesus to continue give us victory over our struggles. As a “Mighty Warrior” he will deliver us safely from the wars we wage against the embarrassing temptations we have a difficult time getting under control.  He will deliver us from laziness, bad habits, confrontations with family, and confrontations with people with whom we do business. He is the Mighty God!

The Everlasting Father

This is an expectation of care.  “Everlasting” points to a promise of kingdom that will never end. (Is. 9:7)  “Father” refers to the enduring, compassionate, fatherly care of the Messiah to His people. We can expect Jesus to be our “Provider Forever.”

 “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)

Prince of Peace

This is an expectation of wholeness.  A “Prince” is a leader, military commander or noble.  “Peace” is the world “shalom” which means the absence of strife, completion, fulfillment or wholeness resulting in unimpaired relationships.  He also provides “peace on earth,”  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” (Luke 2:14). There will be a time of absence of war and social justice on earth. This will happen when the Lord Jesus returns at His Second Coming.  But until then He has come to bring peace into our lives. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27).  This can happen in the part of the world where you live and occupy - within your heart and mind. The Lord Jesus Christ wants to come into our lives and bring us peace.  "For He is our peace" (Ephesians 2:14).

Our Lord is more than a baby born in a manger.  He is Wonderful, He is our Counsellor.  He is our Mighty God.  He is our Everlasting Father, He is our Prince of Peace.

YOU ARE GOD'S REASON FOR THE SEASON

You are God’s Reason For The Season

This is the time of the year we begin once again to focus in on the “first advent”, or the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 
 
We are reminded that the Lord Jesus is the “Reason For The Season”.  


This is important as commercials and all types of advertisement try to make buying gifts the “Reason For The Season”.

I would like for you to think of another important “Reason For the Season”.  That reason is God’s love for you.  The Lord Jesus Christ was sent to Earth to be born on a virgin and to grow up and die for your sins.  You were His reason for this season.  “For God so loved the world, that He gae His only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). There would have been no other reason for the Lord Jesus to leave His wonderful home in Heaven and come down to earth to suffer and die for you and I. “He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; he was despised and we did not appreciate Him.” (Isaiah 53:3)

The “Reason For The Season” is for God to remind you of how much He loves you and that your reason for being is to have a relationship with Him.  God is not waiting for you to become “good enough” and then to come to Him.  He wants you to understand that His gift of life to you was designed to develop a genuine relationship with Him so He could help you to become the best you can be in this life and the one to come. “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we sere still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).  “We love Him, because He first loved us” (I John 4:19).

The “Reason For The Season” is about you finding your reason for living.  The greatest Christian leaders in history understood that their lives had a purpose and that purpose was more about others than about themselves.  One of the basic needs a human being has in life is to have a purpose and know that purpose.  The “Reason For The Season” is more that giving and receiving of gifts.  It is about being reminded of the gifts that God has already given you. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from our Father in Heaven.” (James 1:17).

Another “Reason For The Season” is about you demonstrating God’s love to others. In receiving the gift of salvation you also receive the gift of love.  You both receive God’s love and the ability to love others.  “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love each other.  He that does not love others abides in spiritual death.” (I John 3:14).  “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God and knows God.  He that does not love, knows not God; for God is love.”  (I John 4:7-8). 

You can demonstrate God’s love to others with words of appreciation, acts of kindness, quality time spent with them, and in giving yourself as a gift to them.

We cannot be everywhere and attend every event that is going on this time of the year.   I think the Lord would be please with you and I being with our family and friends, but the purpose should be that you are taking the Lord Jesus with you to be a blessing to everyone you meet. “And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” (Colossians 3:2), We should not make attending activities and parties as the “Reason For The Season”.

Another “Reason For The Season” is that God wants to spend some quality time with you.  Remember He sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to Earth to die for your sins so that you might be able to live with Him forever.  That relationship should start here.  Take some time to reflect on His goodness.  Read the Christmas Story from the book of Luke aloud and think about the wonderful way God revealed Himself to us in a human form.  “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.  But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on His name.  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:11-15).

You are special to God and you are the “Reason For The Season”. “Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift - No language can praise it enough!” (2 Corinthians 9:15).  How you respond to that gift is up to you.  You can accept God’s Son and all the blessings that come with Him. Or you can reject the “Reason For The Season”, and miss all the blessings that come with Him.  Your responsibility is to understand how to live your life in a purposeful way to fulfill your reason for being.  Make this Christmas the best one ever by giving God your best in attending worship services, giving to those in need, and loving one another.  If you do these things you will have a “Merry Christmas”.  Our Lord said:  “If you know these things, happy are you if you do them”  (John 13:16-17)

The angels of God rejoiced at His entrance to Earth.  This time of the year that we are rejoicing about what God has done for us.  “And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2: 10-11).   

Yes, “Jesus Is The Reason For the Season”.  And you are God’s “Reason For The Season”.  He loves you so much that He has given you this wonderful gift of His Son so that you might enjoy this life and have eternal life.  You and I should be thankful for this season, because the Lord Jesus was given to us.  We should also be thinking about His second advent, or His Second Coming, when we will be with Him forever.

THE SEASON OF ADVENT - ANTICIPATION AND HOPE

The Season of Advent - Anticipation and Hope

 “But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels of Heaven, but only My Father. But as the days of Noah were, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark. And they did not know until the flood came and took them all away. So also will be the coming of the Son of man. Then two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Therefore watch; for you do not know what hour your Lord comes. But know this, that if the steward of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be dug through. Therefore you also be ready, for in that hour you think not, the Son of man comes.  (Matthew 24:36-44)

The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent.

In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power.

Advent is the beginning of the Church Year for most churches in the Western tradition. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas Eve (Dec 24). If Christmas Eve is a Sunday, it is counted as the fourth Sunday of Advent, with Christmas Eve proper beginning at sundown.

Advent not only points backward to the first coming, but also forward to the second, thus providing Christians with a vision of the future and toward the future. Advent, then, is a time of expectation: it is the acknowledgment of the fact that , although God has acted decisively on our behalf in Jesus' birth, there is still much outstanding.

Advent is a time for taking stock of our lives and actions in light of the kingdom of God which entered human history with Christ, but still awaits completion. Our expectation of the coming Lord demands that we anticipate in our actions the kingdom with which he has identified himself and will bring to us.

Rather than a time of mourning and fasting, Advent is celebrated as a time of joy and happiness as we await the coming of the King.

So, we celebrate with gladness the great promise in the Advent. This is also faithful to the role of the Coming King who comes to rule, save, and judge the world.

Advent is a time of preparation that is marked by prayer. While Lent (during Easter) is characterized by fasting and a spirit of penitence, Advent’s prayers are prayers of humble devotion and commitment, prayers of submission, prayers for deliverance, prayers

The first candle is traditionally the candle of Expectation or Hope (or in some traditions, Prophecy). This draws attention to the anticipation of the coming of an Anointed One, a Messiah, that weaves its way like a golden thread through Old Testament history.

The remaining three candles of Advent may be associated with different aspects of the Advent story in different churches, or even in different years. Usually they are organized around characters or themes as a way to unfold the story and direct attention to the celebrations and worship in the season. So, the sequence for the remaining three Sundays might be Bethlehem, Shepherds, Angels. Or Love, Joy, Peace.

The third candle, usually for the Third Sunday of Advent, is traditionally Pink or Rose, and symbolizes Joy at the soon Advent of the Christ.  It marks a shift from the more solemn tone of the first two Sundays of Advent that focus on Preparation and Hope, to a more joyous atmosphere of anticipation and expectancy.

The center candle is white and is called the Christ Candle.  It is traditionally lighted on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

The early Church celebrated the Resurrection and the hope it embodied.  It was a proclamation of a truth that rang throughout the Old Testament, that endings are not always endings but are opportunities for God to bring new beginnings. The Resurrection proclaimed that truth even about humanity’s greatest fear, death itself.

It all begins in the hope that God will come and come again into our world to reveal himself as a God of newness, of possibility, a God of new things.  

This time of year we contemplate that hope embodied, enfleshed, incarnated, in a newborn baby, the perfect example of newness, potential, and possibility. During Advent, we groan and long for that newness with the hope, the expectation, indeed the faith, that God will once again be faithful to see our circumstances, to hear our cries, to know our longings for a better world and a whole life (Ex 3:7).  And we hope that as He first came as an infant, so He will come again as King!